Elrod's Notes

Please do not read until after you read the latest story, which should be added today. Warning: If you do go ahead and read it, the ending will be completely spoiled.

The following is a series of emails between Elrod W. (creator of the MAU universe) and myself regarding the change I made in the latest story. It was done with his permission and shows how the story developed. Some segments have been removed to remove spoilers for the rest of the series.

Me

I'm working on a story and was basically going to use the MAU to create a duplicate of a person before they used the MAU. I know it is something that the MAU isn't supposed to do, but I was going to explain it was something that went wrong due to all the stuff the Agency had done to it and was probably not repeatable.

I just wanted to run it by you since you first imagined them up and know more about it than anyone else.

Elrod W.

That's pretty far out of line with the rules. Normally, the Agency gets MAUs after they've completed their demo period - the Agency has NO working MAUs, and thus hasn't really messed one up. Also, as has been explained, the material it's made of is nearly indestructible. One could argue that there was a defective MAU in the shipment which crashed, but that would open a can of worms to abuse the MAU concept.

I can't think of a way to stay "canon" and still do what you're hoping for.

Me

The way I was planning it was that it was one out of the demo period and during an experiment. I have one character who is one of the Agency's scientists and makes a device that is able to get some readings off of the MAUs. Nothing major, just basically that the things are still on to. There is a power surge and the MAU glitches for a moment. I was going to leave it vague if it was a glitch or possibly just some unknown feature of the MAU. Like if the being who used it got killed on the job, they would have a backup stored. But given that no one can understand the language or has the user manual, they really can't figure it out. I have a longer technobabble explanation of why the scientist thinks it happened, but even he doesn't know for sure. I mainly just want to play around with a character encountering a previous version of them before they were changed.

Elrod W.

What if you made it a new, experimental Mark IV unit, one with the features you describe? If so, please include a bit of backstory on the Fwirthians who discovered, to their chagrin' that a lack of backup copy was bad, and thus, in modifying the Mark III unit, they incorporated a backup. Rare - very rare. In fact, the only Mark IV unit in the 'lost shipment'. Being sent out for some 'field testing' along with the regular shipment. Unfortunately, due to the Fwirthian's lack of imagination, it operates on the same 'demo license' as the originals, because they can't imagine it being used in a less-than-legal sense without paying the Gamalfi corporation. (Mindless twits, actually!) Kind of tough to do field testing with a demo license, but they are Fwirthians after all. (And I sort of imagine them like the Golgafrinchian Ark B from Hitch-hiker's Guide...) Or the malfunction freezes it - in any sense, it MUST not be allowed to continue working. I would also prefer that it be someone besides the Agency. They haven't gotten one yet...

I think we can make that work...

Me

The way I was planning it was that it was one out of the demo period and during an experiment. I have one character who is one of the Agency's scientists and makes a device that is able to get some readings off of the MAUs. Nothing major, just basically that the things are still on to. There is a power surge and the MAU glitches for a moment. I was going to leave it vague if it was a glitch or possibly just some unknown feature of the MAU. Like if the being who used it got killed on the job, they would have a backup stored. But given that no one can understand the language or has the user manual, they really can't figure it out. I have a longer technobabble explanation of why the scientist thinks it happened, but even he doesn't know for sure. I mainly just want to play around with a character encountering a previous version of them before they were changed.

Elrod W.

Instead of being a direct agent, you could use a theme I've been developing - but haven't quite gotten the story out; the man is a subcontractor, a specialist who does contract work. Perhaps someone who's started to question the ulterior motives of some of the agency - like he's starting to suspect a plan to use the working MAU for infiltrating and taking over certain countries? Hence the urgency of the Agency to find out how to make the thing work. Anyway, being a bit disenchanted, he's working, but not whole-heartedly. That gives the "on the run" feel you want, and it keeps the agency a bit more mysterious, a la X-files. (Actually, the agency is more MIB than X-files, but some mystery about their inner workings and motives doesn't hurt at all.) So the tool to find the power signature might be something the 'rogues' are using to try to undo their own damage, but they're not being totally forthcoming with the Agency?

Thoughts to consider. This is shaping up to be good. I can think of one twist - the one guy who ends up with a 'backup' ends up seeing himself / herself as the ultimate partner and perhaps being narcissistically smitten?

Me

I am doing something similar. Two of my characters are full Agents and they're trying currently trying to figure out what is going on with the villain. One of them has been an Agent for a number of years and seems to know there is some shady things going on and he wants to stop it. His younger partner is helping him at of a combination of trust and that he is in a relationship with one of the transformed characters.

The villain, who I haven't fully revealed, is apparently capturing the more powerful users of the units. It has been hinted that he is building a small army of these people, thanks to another user who used the unit to give him the power to control people by touch. Nothing supernatural, it is some chemical that has an effect on the brain. He made his move to get my main characters, who have turned into Buffy and Faith from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, they took down the armed men who were supposed to capture them and have been on the run ever since. The two Agents are helping them do this, while trying to find out how deep the conspiracy goes.

I haven't said how much control the villain has over the Agency, but he holds some position of authority over regular Agents. But my two Agent characters currently don't know who to trust.

Elrod W.

Shades of X-files conspiratorial types?

I ask that you make note (author's notes?) that the Agency you are portraying is not purely canon, but that you are taking a few liberties in the interest of story-telling. My view of the Agency is clearly MIB. Apart from that note, write away! This should be interesting.

Me

I'm getting close to posting the first of my new MAU stories, the one with the MAU making a duplicate of a person is a few stories into the arc. Do you still want me to say that it isn't strictly canon given the nature of the Agency? It is going back to how it used to be and the current state could be explained as [segment removed to prevent spoilers] I mainly just want to keep it in canon and I'm willing to work the story to reach that.

I will say that I may have overblown the conspiracy while describing it. The whole problem comes from [segment removed to prevent spoilers]

Elrod W.

Sounds ilke it's more a [segment removed to prevent spoilers], so it should be good. You have my concurrence.

Here's a thought - if you wish, you may THIS ONCE use Danni, the Borg trekkie, to help either defuse the rogue or to protect some of the changees. You could possibly do this by adding a side referece to some trekkies that they're looking for. If Danni needs to step in, so be it. Normally, I'm hyper-protective of Danni and the Trekkies, but if you want a brief cameo, I won't object.

I hope everyone enjoyed seeing that, I changed a few things in the writing of the actual story. But most of it came from these emails. I really enjoy trading ideas with other writers and would very much love to work together in the future.